Tigers

Yahoo Sports Writer Goes From Bashing Cabrera To Saying He Should Be MVP

DETROIT, MI – AUGUST 17: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers reacts as he heads to first base after hitting a ninth inning walk off home run to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 at Comerica Park on August 17, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

In an interview on 97.1 The Ticket, national writer Jed Rigney conceded that Miguel Cabrera deserves to win the American League MVP award. A week earlier, Rigney wrote an article in which he criticized Cabrera and said voters made a mistake choosing Cabrera as MVP in 2012.

In the article, Rigney characterized the Detroit Tigers slugger as a “terrible base runner” and “probably the worst-fielding third basemen in the league.” He even brought up Cabrera’s past DUIs. Rigney’s conclusion was that Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels should win the MVP instead.

Rigney talked with Doug Karsch on the Karsch and Anderson Show when Karsch asked whether the caliber of season to which the player is contributing should matter. With that perspective in mind, Rigney conceded that Cabrera should win the MVP again this season.

“It’s not the best player award, it’s the most valuable player, and while no one in baseball has bothered to really define what that is – and I think that’s partially intentional so it creates all this talk and controversy – he is on a better team and he is doing things offensively that have never been seen before,” Rigney said. “Cabrera is hitting so much better than last year that if it’s within one win above replacement, then yeah, I would give it to him.

“I wouldn’t write another article about how he shouldn’t get it,” Rigney added.

Even with that concession, Rigney did not stray from his cutting comments about Cabrera’s defense.

“Miguel Cabrera is a black hole at his position,” Rigney said. “If he played first, I wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Even if he was a DH. But he’s such a negative at third base. He creates so many runs for other teams with balls he doesn’t get to that he really creates a negative value for himself there.

“If he let a ball by him every week, once a week, all it takes is once a week, he adds a batting average of 50 points to his opponents, so he’s making hitters on other teams more valuable with his terrible defense,” Rigney added.